The Grand Harvest
by jon1305
Summary: A slightly-late story of Autumn life in Emelka. The farms folk all prepare for the country's biggest festival. Contains spoilers from the show.


The Grand Harvest

Autumn brings more to the World of Twelve than people's favorite popular coffee flavoring. Fall is a very anticipated season for the small farming village of Emelka. With the winding down of the calendar's final months, day become noticeably shorter, and the chill sets in across the valley. The fauna and flora both seek shelter for the long hibernation to come. Farmers get excited about The Grand Harvest, which takes place nearer to the end of the month of November, showcasing each of their hard-worked vegetables. This is a most joyous time for the children of the valley as well. The Grand Harvest marks the day of the valley's biggest festival. With games to be played, prizes to be won, food to be shared, and fun to be had by all, this event is on the minds of every single resident of Emelka.

Due to the environmental shifting caused by Ogrest and his power, Autumn seems to have come late this year, giving the villagers warmer weather deep into November. But thanks to the determination of the townsfolk, this year's festival was going to be on time. In the past few days, the stalls were set, lights had been hung, and the Grand Harvest signs were posted on every corner.

A thick cover of dark clouds rolled in over the hills to the west, promising the much needed nutrients for the farmer's pride-and-joys. The gossip going around the field was that this big storm would help push the unwelcomed heat out of the valley, and bring about this time-of-year's iconic chill. Nearly every citizen was happy about the idea of sweater-weather in the valley.

Adorned one of the hills to the west was a large inn known to many as The Crusty Gobball. This was a tourist destination for country folk, and foodies alike. The owner of this inn was a well renowned chef named Alibert. His gobball stew was amazing, no matter what time of year it was. Being the colder season, customers would flock to his door for this local delicacy.

Business was slowing down, thanks to the impending rain that was only over the horizon, a few short hours away.

"Thanks again for stopping by!" Alibert yelled, waving to the last two customers leaving satisfied. As the door shut, a blue-hatted figure briskly walked by, picking up the empty plates off of the tables.

"I think the storm is getting closer, dad." Said the boy, now holding eight plates, making his way to the kitchen.

"It must be. Good riddance to this heat. Summer was too long." Alibert responded, wiping the countertop to the bar. As soon as the boy walked through the swinging doors to the kitchen, another boy stepped out, making for the dirty glasses.

"I don't have a problem with the heat…" said the pale boy, rolling his eyes while grabbing the last few glasses.

"That's only because you're a dragon, Ad." The first boy quipped, reappearing in the dining room. "I love sweaters, campfires, and snow way more than the sticky heat of Summer."

Adamai scoffed, making his way back to the kitchen. "See Yugo, how can you and I be nearly opposites, but still come from the same dofus?"

"Beats me." Yugo smiled back, wiping down the tables with a rag. Moving the chairs back in their places under the tables, he notices a small pile of rice on the floor. "Clean up at table seven!" Yugo called back to the kitchen.

The double doors swung open, and a smaller boy wearing a brown horned-hat rushed out wielding a broom, followed by a darker-skinned boy holding onto a dustpan. The pair made their way to the spot, and immediately started sweeping up the mess.

"All clean!" the two of them said, saluting Yugo with their free hand.

"Nice job today boys. You two were really on top of your roles as cleaning crew. Perhaps when you're a bit older, Yugo can teach you how to be a waiter." Alibert smiled down at the two boys.

"Yeah Chibi, one day you and Grougal be strong enough to carry five plates at once!" Yugo said patting their heads.

"How about ten?" Chibi asked wide-eyed up at his older brother.

"Maybe **I** could carry ten. You're still pretty weak." The dark-skinned boy jested, poking at Chibi's squishy arm.

"I'll be getting stronger, dummy." Chibi retorted, sticking his tongue out at his brother.

"I'll believe that when it happens, munchkin." Grougal said, also sticking his tongue out.

"You're only two inches taller than me!" Chibi yelled, motioning his hand as to how tall he was.

"And don't you forget it!" Grougal said triumphantly, smiling his way back to the kitchen. As he made his way back, Chibi ran after him slightly angry at how easily he was to verbally walk into Grougal's joke.

"Hey, you boys stop. If you can't act nice to each other like big kids, then maybe you're too young to go to the festival." Alibert said sternly, arms crossed, staring down at the two. Chibi and Grougal's faces instantly looked sad as they turned their gaze towards their father's, then down to the ground.

"We're sorry papa…" they said in unison.

Alibert hated scolding his kids, but sometimes their overly-stubborn personalities tested his patience. He would say 'No more bedtime stories' or 'No dessert', but he never meant it. He would cave instantly seeing their tiny faces saddened. Yugo and Adamai knew their adoptive father's weakness all too well.

"Hey guys, why don't you help Ad finish the dishes?" Yugo said, finishing up his tables. The two smaller boys nodded, and rushed to help their brother at the sink. Once they two of them were out of earshot, Yugo looked over to his dad and asked "The festival will still be on schedule, right dad?"

"That's what I heard. Tomorrow is the big day. They said rain or shine, so I'd assume they're going to be putting up a large tent like last year. Are you excited?"

"Am I ever?! This is the first year Chibi and Grougal are going to be old enough for some of the games like duck-tag, and archery!"

"Woah there… How about we give them a bit longer before we put a bow in their hands?" Alibert responded, sounding nervous at the thought of a misfire.

"The Sadlygrove family always wins, though. Plus, Flopin is their age, and has been training for two years with a crossbow. They use padded darts for the children anyways."

"Yugo, you know that they are Cras. I just don't feel comfortable with them around any kind of weaponry. Even padded ones…" Alibert said, sounding unswayed on the matter.

Yugo sighed, and shrugged the idea from his mind. As easy as it was to get around Alibert's ironic stubbornness, there were points that even Yugo couldn't change; one major point was the idea of training Chibi and Grougal for any kind of fighting. Alibert barely made it through the mental gauntlet that came with Yugo's adventuring.

Yugo pushed through the swinging doors, seeing Adamai scrubbing the dishes, and handing them down the line to Grougal who rinsed them off, who then passed it on to Chibi holding a towel. The sink was too high for the younger two to easily reach over, so Alibert had made two small stepping stools for them. Grougal hated the idea of needing help, so sure that he was big enough to do most everything on his own. Despite his hard-headedness, Grougal still used it.

"And there…" Adamai said handing off the last plate. "And still a few hours before bed, too."

"Come on, Grougal! Maybe we can play outside for just a bit!" Chibi hoped excitedly. The pair was nearly halfway out the door before Alibert came in, and spoke up.

"Where are you going?"

Nearly stopping on one foot, Grougal turned around and said "We want to play outside before bed. We still have some time."

Alibert glanced out the window, then up at the clock mounted on the wall, then back to the boys. "The storm's rolling in. You two have one hour before I want you inside and readying for bed. Okay?"

Smiles shone brightly across their faces, as they both nodded and rushed out the back door.

"Don't get too dirty! And if it rains, come right back in okay?" Alibert yelled out after them, but they were already too distracted with their frolicking to notice. Alibert closed the door and sighed, looking at the cleaned kitchen. "You two did a good job. With the younger ones away, how's about we treat ourselves to some ice cream?"

Yugo and Adamai both nodded, smiling. Alibert made his way into the pantry, opened the freezer, and reached for a small cardboard tub hidden behind a frozen bag of vegetables on the highest shelf. Alibert didn't want Chibi or Grougal to know where he hid the ice cream, for if they did, either they would constantly ask for it daily, or they'd help themselves to the whole thing in a matter of two days.

The clouds were starting to cover the town in their shadow, blocking out most of the sun's light as it fell to the west. The air was cold enough to warrant a jacket, but the two boys didn't care. They ran around in circles, pretending to cast magic at each other, or test to see who was the faster of the two by running up a hill, then back down it. This was a multiple-tested theory. Each day they seemed to take turns being labeled 'fastest'. With their frivolity, they hadn't noticed time slip away as fast as they thought it was. Before long, they felt drops land on their arms.

"It's raining!" they cheered in unison. The rain was rather cold, especially matched with a wind following it. The weather started dampening nearly everything in the valley except the boy's spirits. They both were too excited for this up-coming festival. Years prior, they were stuck to only the petting zoo, and corn maze. But this year, they were old enough to participate in a few of the more physical challenges such as pumpkin throwing, and log balance. They both knew Alibert was going to prohibit a few of the more unsettling challenges, but being included as part of the 'big kids league' was a social step up that every child yearned for.

The two boys slid on the grass down the hills as if they were surfing, and having fun in the rain not knowing how late it had gotten. Grougal started feeling a slight shiver as the sky grew darker, and spoke up after his brother "Maybe we should be going home now…"

As soon as Chibi turned to his brother, he slipped on some wet grass, and landed bottom-first in a small puddle. Grougal ran over to help him. When he reached Chibi, he looked over his brother for injuries, only to be grabbed and pulled into the puddle as well. The two of them laughed as they got wet, and started wrestling in the grass. After Grougal pinned Chibi's arms to his side, he smiled down at him.

"See? I told you I was stronger." Grougal laughed lightly at his pinned brother, only to be cut off by a sneeze. The spasm caught Grougal off guard enough for Chibi to break free, and tackle his brother back.

"Maybe I am stronger…" Chibi imitated his dragon-brother's smile. "But we should go in. I'm a bit cold." Chibi said shivering slightly. He extending his arm, and helped Grougal back to his feet, and they made their way back towards the inn.

Yugo and Adamai were both laughing at a joke that Alibert was saying about gobballs and pumpkins when they heard the back door open, and the sound of stomping feet dredge across the hard wood floors. They hid their bowls as to not let the little kids onto what they were enjoying. Alibert noticed the time, and got up from his seat. "It's time to start heading to bed."

Yugo and Adamai stretched and started towards the stairs when they heard two small voices saying "Papa, it's raining lots!" They changed course and made their way to the kitchen. Adamai spoke quickly "Drenched, cold, and muddy."

When the swinging doors opened, they saw the two smaller boys shivering in a newly-forming puddle of water at their feet. Their clothes clung tightly to their skin, being thoroughly soaked through. Despite the rain, they hadn't tracked any mud inside. Yugo noticed this and quickly responded to Adamai "Two out of three. Better luck next time." Adamai hit Yugo, and made his way to helping Alibert collect towels.

"Oh you two are soaked to the bone!" Alibert quickly wrapped Chibi and Grougal in towels. "Just leave your clothes here. I'll hang them up, and you go dress into your pajamas. It's nearly bedtime."

As the two boys stripped from their wet things, Alibert placed them on hangers on a wire near the closet. He carefully took Chibi's hat, and wrapped it in a towel to wring it out. Chibi was okay with exposing his tiny glowing wings on his head. He preferred wearing a hat, but was okay with others seeing what Yugo was still too embarrassed to show anyone except immediate family. He taught the boys to not show off his Wakfu wings until they were older, hoping to buy Yugo some time to come up with a better reason as to why he didn't like other knowing.

Chibi sneezed as he stepped out of the last of his clothing, and started up the stairs, soon followed by a shivering Grougal.

Alibert called up the stairs after the boys "Don't forget to brush your teeth. I'll be in to read to you in a minute."

Yugo helped mop up the water from the floor, and Adamai used his fire breath to dry the clothes.

Alibert sighed, staring at the mess that Chibi and Grougal made in a matter of seconds. "Raising just you was hard enough Yugo. It's worse when there is now twice the mischief."

"But you have us to help clean up after their messes, so we still outnumber them three to two." Adamai mentioned, leaving the clothes to dry the rest of the way.

"And I am eternally grateful for all of my blessings; even you two gobballs." Alibert said grabbing the two in a giant hug. His hugs always squeezed a little too much, but he always said that just how much they mean to him. "Now you two better make off for bed too. I'll pick a story to read."

Yugo and Adamai made it to their room right as Chibi and Grougal were covering themselves up. They all shared the same room, but only Chibi and Grougal shared the same bed, the larger one by the window. Ever since their adventures, Yugo constantly woke in the middle of the night from night-terrors screaming and hyperventilating. After the third consecutive night, Adamai suggested he bunk in the same room. So they moved his bed that following night, and just being in the same room as his dragon-brother made Yugo feel better. Months later, Ad still sleeps in the same room. He may claim that it's him being 'too lazy to move it back', but Ad secretly likes the security of being around his brother.

Ever since the younger boys were out of their cribs, they loved sleeping with each other. To make it easier to take care of them, Yugo suggested moving their bed to the now shared 'Boys' Room'.

As Alibert made his way into the room holding a book read over multiple times, he tucked in the younger boys, followed by the older two. Chibi and Grougal were still shivering slightly, but it went unnoticed under the thick quilt that they shared.

"Okay, so where do I begin?" a question Alibert asked before reading every story, in an attempt to read less in hopes that the kids would fall asleep faster.

"How about at the part where there's the town brawl?" Adamai suggested.

"No, that's too far ahead!" Chibi interjected. "Start from the start."

Alibert smiled as he flipped to front page. "The Magic Flute by Woden Williams…" He's read this particular one enough times that each of the boys know exactly when to jump in with lines read in wacky accents. It wasn't long before all four of the boys were fast asleep. Alibert crept over to each of their beds, and kissed each of his sons on the forehead. Turning out the light, he quietly made his way to his own room.

The sound of rain on the window could be heard slightly over the sound of the children's breathing. The clouds had a cache of rain that they fully intended to spend on the small farming town. The rain persisted through the whole night, giving the ground some much-needed nutrients, and pushing the last hints of summer far away from the town.

As the sun rose, it parted the clouds as if it were a giant cleaver made of light. The storm had its run, and started dissipating right as the sunrise threatened the horizon. Awake with the sun, as customary these many years past, Alibert was the first one up. Pulling back the covers, he felt a chill in the room, which forced him to reach for his robe and slippers; gifts given to him for Christmas by Yugo and Adamai.

He trotted down the stair toward the coffee machine, and poured water from the sink into the pot. As he waited for it water to boil, he brought out some pumpkin-flavored pastries that he bought the day before for this occasion. For today was the day of The Grand Harvest. The inn was closed, as well as most of the business in town. The sounds of nails being hammered, and tarps being brushed off could be heard echoing across the valley. The rain from the storm didn't damage any of the stalls, but everything has this damp chill to it.

Alibert plated the pastries, and carried them back up the stairs towards the boys' room. Opening the door, the wooden creaking was enough to wake Adamai, who instantly noticed the food. After a few moments, the heavenly smell of not-burnt sweets shook Yugo awake. None of the boys were fairly early risers; but with the added enticement of food, they would literally spring from under their sheets to have first dibs at the treats.

Alibert looked to the younger two boys, who still hadn't woken up. After placing the food down on a bedside table, he walked over and shook the younger boys awake. Chibi rolled over slowly, looking slightly pale and groggy. Grougal, also looking a bit off, just curled up tightly clutching the quilt. Alibert put his hand on their foreheads and started worrying.

"Hey boys, are you feeling okay? You look a little under the weather." Alibert said sitting on the side of their bed.

Adamai and Yugo had shoved a few of the spiral orange pastries in their mouths before they noticed Alibert's facial expression. Yugo swallowed hard what he had in his mouth and spoke up. "What's wrong dad?"

Alibert had felt for the kid's swollen glands on their jaw, and turned to Yugo. "I think they have a cold. It must have been from playing in the rain last night."

Yugo walked over and felt Chibi's forehead. "Yeah, they are burning up. Should I go get the nurse?"

"Yes, please. I'll go get them some warm towels, and water." Alibert said hurrying to help his kids.

"Come on Ad. There will be plenty of time to stuff your face later." Yugo said grabbing a jacket and making his way outside using a fast-placed portal.

"You're one to talk Mr. 'See how many I can fit in my mouth at once'!" Adamai called after him, jumping through the portal. The older brothers make their way through the streets, noticing the lights and banners going up all around the town square, as they head for the enrispa nurse's shop.

Alibert returned shortly with a few glasses of water, and some cool towels. Folding them up, he placed one on each of the boy's foreheads. "Boys, don't worry about anything. Your big brothers are getting help."

Alibert was always one to overreact over small 'crises' such as splinters or scrapes. He once rushed Yugo to the doctor's thinking he had a stomach ulcer, only for it to turn out it was trapped gas.

After about twenty minutes, Yugo and Adamai reappeared with a short woman wearing a white jacket. "Hello Alibert. Are these the patients?" she asked.

"Yeah. They were playing outside in the rain last night when they weren't supposed to." Alibert stepped back, allowing the nurse to examine the boys.

After a few moments of temperature taking, stethoscope using, and 'Mmm Hmm'-ing, she turned towards Alibert and said "It looks like it's just a cold. I can give you some medicine, but they should just stay in bed all day; at the very least, until their fevers go down. Give them plenty of water, one tablespoon of this medicine every six hours, and it should be gone in about two days."

Alibert gave a big sigh of relief. He feared it could have been pneumonia, or even something worse. He took the medicine, thanked the nurse, and started pouring it into small measuring spoons. Yugo showed the enrispa the way out, as Adamai sat on the foot of Yugo's bed, pastry in hand.

"Okay boys. Time to take your medicine." Alibert put a hand behind Chibi's head to assist in him sitting upright. "Open wide." As soon as the medicine touched Chibi's tongue, his face distorted with a look of disgust.

"It's gross!" Chibi said after struggling to swallow the fowl-tasting liquid.

"I know it is. Here, wash it down with this." Alibert handed him the cup of water, making sure to add the bendy-straw for them. "Yeah. Drink all of that before laying back down. Grougal, your turn."

Grougal rolled under the blanket, refusing to endure what he was almost certain was a horrible taste.

"Come on Grougal. You need to take your medicine in order to get better. Chibi is a big boy enough to take it." Alibert added to entice Grougal from hiding.

After a short pause, Grougal popped his head up saying "If little Chibi can do it, the so can I." He added emphasis on 'little'. His bravery was met with the exact same expression of disgust from the flavor of the medicine.

After giving Grougal the cup of water, Alibert reached over and grabbed two pastries. He put them on the quilt in front of the boys. "Here you go for being such brave big boys. Now you have to rest. I'll be within earshot if you need anything. Plus, big brother Yugo is going to help take care of you."

"What about Ad?" Yugo asked questioningly.

"Adamai is going to help me in the town square for a bit. We have to set up some of the food stalls." Alibert said patting Yugo's head.

"The festival! What about us? We can help too!" Grougal said trying to get out of bed.

"No, you're sick. The nurse said bedrest. You can't go to the festival sick. You'll spread it to everyone else." Alibert said putting a hand on Grougal's shoulder, making Grougal lay back down.

Tears started to form in both Grougal's and Chibi's eyes as they sniffled. "Not fair. We were old enough for big kid games this year! Why can't we go?!"

"Come on guys. There is always next year. You'll be even bigger and stronger then." Adamai said after finishing his fifth pastry.

The younger boys started crying, not wanting to hear the fact that they have to wait even longer to do cool big boy stuff.

"Come on. Don't cry boys. I know it stinks, but that's just how things turned out." Alibert said reaching over to hug the patients. "How about when you get better, we have our own competition? I'll write down the things that they do tonight, and you guys will be able to try them out for you own. So when you go next year, you'll be better at it than the others."

After sniffling a bit, both of the boys nod, rubbing their eyes. Alibert tucked them in, and kissed both of them once more before making his way out the door with Adamai following closely behind.

Yugo had finished off the last of the sweets before taking the plater down to the kitchen, but He was stopped by the sound of whining. Yugo turned around and saw the two younger boys staring at him. "Please Yugo, can you read us a story?" Grougal said softly, rubbing his nose on his pajama sleeve.

Yugo smiled and answered "Sure. Let me just take these dishes down, and I'll grab one on the way back." After making his way through the kitchen, he traced his finger over their story collection. Most of the books had been worn out from use, but no matter how many times they heard it, each of the children loved story time. Yugo couldn't make up his mind as to what he wanted story to read, so he decided to read something else.

Making his way back, he could hear Chibi and Grougal chanting "Story time. Story time" from down the hall. They were both excited, until they saw Yugo return empty-handed. "Where's the story?" they both asked together.

Yugo looked out the window, seeing Alibert and Adamai already on their way to the courtyard. "I had a new story in mind. Dad wouldn't like me telling it, but since you guys are missing out on the festival, I think it's fair enough I tell it to you." Yugo pulled up a chair, and sat next to their bed. The boys' eyes went wide with anticipation of a new story.

"You both know I went on a long trip a long time ago, right?" Yugo whispered in closely, adding more mystery to the story. Both of the sick boys nodded. "Well I'm going to tell you a story about how I helped save a whole village of puddlys."

The boy's expression was pure amazement as Yugo went on about his endeavors with the taur bullies, and teaching the mayor puddly to stand up for themselves. He added a few jokes, and made sure to leave out any bad words that might have been said. Every so often he would be cut off by a sneeze from one of the boys, and offer them a tissue. He felt bad for them having to miss out of an event that they had been talking about for months.

By the time he finished his story, the boys were both yawning. Yugo hugged them both, got them another glass of water, and closed the blinds. Before long, Chibi and Grougal were cuddled up together, and fast asleep.

The Grand Harvest was a surprising success, with an all-time high count of patrons attending. The music was playing, and people were cheering well into the night. Periodically Alibert would check in on the boys, making sure they had plenty of water, helped them to the restroom, or give them another tablespoon of medicine. The flavor didn't get better, but by the end of the night, both children looked like their fevers were breaking. With color returning to their tiny chubby faces, Alibert said a silent prayer of thanks for having the boys turn out okay.

Alibert was checking in on them once again as the sun had set. Being stuck in bed, the two patients were increasingly bored. They would both stare out the window down at the festivities going on a short distance away. They would make up their own accents on how people sounded based on the outrageous clothes that they wore. The door opened right as a nasally high-pitched voice was saying "See how far I can throw this super heavy pumpkin!" followed by laughter shortly after the participant threw it only inches in front of him.

"Sounds like you two are getting a bit better. How are you feeling?" Alibert said pressing his hand to their foreheads.

"Chibi's breath stinks. I want to get out of bed." Grougal said grumpily.

Chibi mocked back saying "It's your butt that stinks!"

Alibert smiled, and said pointing out the window "Calm down you two, or you'll miss it."

The boys stopped their arguing, confused about what their father meant. Looking outside, they could see the people all collecting in their seats, staring up at the sky. It took the kids a few moments before they realized what Alibert had meant. No more than thirty seconds later, a giant glowing explosion of color went off above the crowd. Colors cascaded through the sky, lighting up the dark with hues of greens, reds, and blues.

The fireworks were in full swing as Alibert scooted over, hugging his sons. They didn't get to participate in the festival this year, but being sick didn't turn out all that bad. They would definitely be talking about next year's harvest for many months to come.

 **Author's Note:** This was so much longer than I had anticipated, but I enjoyed writing it nonetheless. I want to thank my friend Sam for inspiring me back into writing. With my newly acquired art lessons, I won't have as much time to write. Hit me up if you had any ideas that you would want to see written.

Characters, setting, and races belong to Ankama.

Fluff was made by me.


End file.
